Ramzy Baroud* is heartened by manifestations of solidarity with the beleaguered population of Gaza The recent actions of people from around the world in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza represent the closest we have come to international solidarity since the International Brigades against fascism during the Spanish Civil War. Is this too bold assertion? Admittedly, I may not be as in tune with reality as I should be. Born and raised in a Gaza refugee camp, where most refugees felt no one cared about their plight, it was easy to believe that we would be forever caught in the tenuous and redundant stances of Arab and other countries whose acts of solidarity went no further than hollow words of condemnation. The recent, noble stand by activists from all over the world therefore seems to me like an unprecedented act of solidarity which, I dare believe, heralds the direct involvement of civil society as a real party in the ongoing Palestinian struggle for political and human rights. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), when various European powers were turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed in Spain, almost 40,000 men and women from 52 countries decided to fight fascism for themselves. The global consciousness manifested by such direct, unprecedented action remains baffling considering the lack of powerful communication technology available at the time. The 2,800 American volunteers included a black man, Canute Frankson, who joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. He wrote to a friend from Madrid in 1937: "Why I, a Negro who have fought through these years for the rights of my people, am here in Spain today? Because we are no longer an isolated minority group fighting hopelessly against an immense giant. Because... we have joined with, and become an active part of, a great progressive force, on whose shoulders rests the responsibility of saving human civilization from the planned destruction of a small group of degenerates... Because if we crush Fascism here we'll save our people in America, and in other parts of the world from the vicious persecution, wholesale imprisonment, and slaughter which the Jewish people suffered and are suffering under Hitler's Fascist heels." How pertinent these words seemed as one read with anxiousness, pride and exhilaration the notes and messages that have come from Cairo, Arish and Gaza. They convey the support of countless people who have baptised with blood and tears their commitment to humanity in Palestine, and indeed everywhere. The Gaza Freedom March, a coalition of several groups, consisted of 1,362 activists from more than 40 countries on a mission to cross to Gaza and, along with Israeli, Palestinian and international peace activists, to march to the Israeli Erez checkpoint, one of the closed crossings that have completely cut off Palestinians in Gaza from the outside world. Gaza has been embroiled in the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe for years due to the Palestinian people's exercise of their democratic rights. The people of Gaza have endured one-sided wars, and have been left to exist in a state of near starvation. The valiant peace warriors of Viva Palestina have set new standards for how far peace and justice activists are willing to go to back up their words with action. Many millions around the world watched -- despite the mainstream media's shameless disregard of the unfolding drama -- as nearly 500 activists and 200 vehicles, laden with badly needed medical supplies for besieged Gaza, took off on a historic odyssey to break the siege. As they approached Gaza they were forced by the Egyptian government to backtrack due to a technicality, and embark on an arduous journey across the desert and sea that took in several countries. As they approached Gaza again, in the Egyptian port of Arish, they were violently assaulted and dozens were left injured. The Gaza Freedom March was similarly met with intimidation, assaults and violence. These are not Palestinians, but international activists. From Malaysia to South Africa, from the UK to the US, men and women, Christians, Jews and Muslim, people of different cultural and political backgrounds, showed themselves to be unified in their belief in justice and human rights. While Palestine has always enjoyed universal solidarity, with many fearless activists -- who can forget Rachel Corrie? -- a collective action of this magnitude and displaying this level of commitment is a new feature of a conflict that has been reduced over time to that of beleaguered Palestinians facing a militarily powerful Israel. The Gaza Freedom March, Viva Palestina, the Free Gaza Movement and others are redefining the conventional discourse pertaining to the Middle East's most intricate and protracted conflict. Civil society is not a group of NGOs to be strategically funded and manipulated by Western governments but encompasses powerful, self-assured and truly representative communities from all over the world. People can be united beyond religion and ideology; they can collectively cross continents, seas and deserts to put their beliefs into action. The activists' ability to overcome the shameful silence of the mainstream media also highlights the importance of alternative media as the single most important tool in achieving camaraderie. "Throughout the Gaza Freedom March presence in Cairo, our sisters and brothers from the South African delegation dynamically articulated the connections between injuries that indigenous Africans suffered under the white supremacist regime in Pretoria and the inequalities that Palestinians now face at the hands of the Israeli government," wrote Joshua Brollier, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non- Violence, in the Palestine Chronicle. Many heroes and heroines emerged from the activists' action-packed journey to Gaza. Hedy Epstein, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor whose parents both perished in Auschwitz, deserves a special mention. She went on a hunger strike when she, along with many others, were blocked from entering Gaza. Epstein didn't stand in solidarity with the Palestinians despite the Holocaust but because of it. Similarly, many activists drew their solidarity from specific experiences in their fight for democracy and justice at home. Maybe I am in tune with reality after all. Maybe the words and action of our African America hero Canute Frankson were not in vain. Maybe the quest for justice can cross all physical and psychological boundaries. One thing is for sure. Gaza is not alone. In fact, it never was. * The writer is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com . His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto Press, London).
